Oregon Builds Early Lead Before Falling to No. 1 UCLA in Series Finale
- Mick Xu
- May 10
- 2 min read
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — No. 13 Oregon put itself in position to win a road series against No. 1 UCLA on May 10, building a 6-1 lead before falling 9-6 in the series finale at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Ducks controlled the middle innings behind a strong start from Miles Gosztola and a five-run fourth inning, but UCLA answered late with eight unanswered runs to take the rubber match. Oregon moved to 36-14 overall and 18-9 in Big Ten play after the loss.
The Ducks broke the game open in the fourth inning by taking advantage of UCLA mistakes and turning them into a major scoring chance. Oregon loaded the bases, pushed across a run on a Jack Brooks single, added another on a Ryan Cooney sacrifice fly, and then got the biggest swing of the inning from Brayden Jaksa. Jaksa launched a three-run home run to stretch Oregon’s lead to 6-1, giving the Ducks control of the game and putting pressure on the nation’s top-ranked team.
Gosztola gave Oregon a strong outing on the mound and kept UCLA’s offense quiet through the early part of the game. The left-hander matched a career high with nine strikeouts and had retired 13 of 14 batters entering the sixth inning. He exited after 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits without issuing a walk. His performance gave Oregon the type of start it needed in a road series finale against a top-ranked opponent.
The game changed after Oregon’s early lead. UCLA began to chip away in the sixth, added another run in the seventh, and then completed the comeback in the eighth inning. The Ducks were one out away from escaping the eighth with the lead still intact, but UCLA extended the inning with multiple two-out baserunners before Dean West hit the go-ahead grand slam. The swing gave UCLA its first lead since the early innings and shifted the game completely.
For Oregon, the loss was a difficult finish to a weekend that still showed the Ducks could compete with one of the best teams in the country. Oregon had beaten UCLA the night before and was in position to take the series on Sunday, but the Bruins’ late push changed the result. The Ducks left Los Angeles with signs of strength, especially from their early offense and starting pitching, but the finale came down to missed opportunities to finish off a ranked road win.
